The Wizard of Oz is a classic MGM Movie (1939) based on the books of Frank L. Baum, which is referenced countless times throughout Mork and Mindy. It is by far and away the most used reference throughout the run of the show. In addition to utterances about the film's characters and reiterations of lines like "There's no place like home," Mork refers to all children as "Munchkins" and owns a pair of ruby time-travel slippers which he uses in Long Before We Met, as well as the final part of the three-part finale and the animated series.
About The Wizard of Oz[]
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. An adaptation of L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's fantasy novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the film was primarily directed by Victor Fleming (who left the production to take over the troubled Gone with the Wind), and stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but others made uncredited contributions. The songs were written by Edgar "Yip" Harburg and composed by Harold Arlen. The musical score and incidental music were composed by Herbert Stothart.
Characterized by its use of Technicolor, fantasy storytelling, musical score, and memorable characters, The Wizard of Oz was moderately successful upon its original release of August 25, 1939. The film was considered a critical success and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning in two categories: Best Original Song for "Over the Rainbow" and Best Original Score by Stothart. While the film was sufficiently popular at the box office, it failed to make a profit for MGM until the 1949 re-release, earning only $3,017,000 on a $2,777,000 budget, not including promotional costs, which made it MGM's most expensive production at that time.
The 1956 television broadcast premiere of the film on the CBS network reintroduced the film to the public; according to the Library of Congress, it is the most seen film in movie history. In 1989, it was selected by the U.S. Library of Congress as one of the first 25 films for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It is also one of the few films on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. It was among the top ten in the 2005 BFI (British Film Institute) list of "50 films to be seen by the age of 14", and is on the BFI's updated list of "50 films to be seen by the age of 15" released in May 2020.
The Wizard of Oz has become the source of many quotes referenced in contemporary popular culture. The film ranks often on critics' lists of greatest films of all time, and is the most commercially successful adaptation of L. Frank Baum's work
Mork's Multiple References[]
- Mork Moves In - In the midst of his bezerb drunk Mork mimics the Wicked Witch of the West's "I'm Melting!"
- Mork the Tolerant - Mork gives Mindy & Bickley a 'little entertainment' getting down on his knees as 'Carl' a Munchkin who hasn't worked since the Wizard of Oz. Another Wizard of Oz reference, when Mork refers to the tiny bottle of bourbon Bickley presents to Mindy on his arrival, as 'Munchkin sized'.
- Young Love - Mork says 'There's no place like home' as he puts Mindy down after repeatedly lifting her to 'fly'.
- Mork in Wonderland, Part 2 - Mork asks Bossy the Cow what Bert Lahr would do in this situation doing a quick impersonation of the Cowardly Lion, before answering himself with 'Haul Oz out of here',
- Dr. Morkenstein - While talking to Orson about Chuck the Robot, Mork says, "I played The Wizard of Oz. I gave the Tin Man a heart."
- Mork's Vacation - In another Wizard of Oz reference, Mork proclaims on his return to his own body, "There's no place like Mork."
- Clerical Error - In his papal fervor Mork declares, 'There's No Place Like Rome, There's No Place Like Rome!"
- Invasion of the Mork Snatchers - Mork tries to ward off his purchasing conversion by chanting 'There's no place like Cavett. There's no Place like Cavett' in a nod to Dorothy's 'There's No Place Like Home'
- Putting the Ork Back in Mork, Part 2 - Mork's possession has an impression of Dorothy's cry of 'Auntie Em! Auntie Em!"
- Mork in Never Never Land - Mork tells Peter, "There's no place like the home."
- Mork the Prankster - As Mork strikes on an idea for a prank to really make Mindy laugh (or so he thinks) he declares, "A tornado in the windmills of my mind. Hang on, Toto, hang on!"
- Mindy gets her Job - Mork refers again to the kids in the center as Munchkins.
- Mindy, Mindy, Mindy - When Mindy leaves for Kansas, there are several references to The Wizard of Oz. (A Flea Collar for Toto; Glinda Impersonation 'Don't be afraid!') and again when Al Klevins arrives (Midget Convention looking for a small dog)
- Long Before We Met - Mork pulls out his Time Shoes with their resemblance to Dorothy's slippers and imitates the Wicked Witch of the West, before initiating the shoes the same way as Dorothy, by clicking the heels.
- Drive She Said - Mork yells for 'Aunty Em!' as the Devilish Tester makes him head for the highway.
- Gotta Run, Part 3 - Mork does an impersonation of Marx Brother, Chico, paraphrasing the Wizard of Oz's Dorothy's 'There's No Place Like Home' into 'There's no place like Rome' due to Chico's faux Italian persona.
- Time Slipper Slip-Up